ℚ The Last Ten Pounds - Lina Sage

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Lina Sage to talk about The Last Ten Pounds: One Woman's Journey to Love (by shedding Fear, Anger, Hatred...and Everything In-Between) (8 October 2016, Lina Sage, 237 pages), a Memoir.

"Lina had me riveted from the very first paragraph. I couldn't put the book down as it was thoroughly engaging, taking me through a journey of emotional turmoil, anguish, hatred, love, and enlightenment. I learned about myself through her self-discovery. Simply uplifting and inspirational!" - D.P.
M.L..

Synopsis | Trailer | Teaser | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

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A very warm welcome to Lina Sage; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

We love music; do you have a music playlist that you used in The Last Ten Pounds, or which inspired you whilst you were writing it?

"I prefer to write in silence but I do love classical music and Jack Johnson for easy listening."

What was the inspiration for The Last Ten Pounds?

"My memoir, The Last Ten Pounds, started off as a personal project to help me process, deal with and heal from the emotional traumas from my past. It originally started off as nothing more than scribbled notes in my journal. Before long, it had filled an entire book. That’s when I realized that my personal project was so much more than journal entries. It was meant to be shared with the world and maybe along the way help to inspire people in their own personal struggles."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"So much of myself is reflected in the book. Because the book is a memoir, I knew that in order to connect with my readers, I had to be as transparent as possible. Throughout the book, readers will engage with my inner voice so whichever scenario I’m in, they’ll always know what I’m really thinking. It was so important to me that the reader be able to feel all the emotions I was feeling while going through all these events and the only way I could do that was to write it in a raw, honest and unfiltered way. There is beauty and power in truth. That’s why the whole genre of memoirs is so important because it speaks of someone’s truth and, in that truth, is where we all connect."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Last Ten Pounds - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"The cover of my book was designed by my good friend Ade, who is also one of the people I write about in my book. The idea for the cover was a collaborative effort between the two of us. The cover of my book is one of symbolism. The dark clouds in the background represents a stormy past. There is an image of me holding the moon and rising up from the mountains. This symbolizes me climbing and fighting my way out of all past traumas to rise above. The moon represents feminine energy and because I’m holding the moon, it symbolizes me embracing my feminine energy. To sum it up, I started off amidst a storm, rose above and came full circle with the restoration of my femininity."

Why should we read The Last Ten Pounds and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"I think people should read my book because it’s such a human story that so many of us can relate to. 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys are sexually abused. These numbers are on the conservative side because most cases go unreported. Survivors of sexual abuse don’t like to talk about what happened to them because of all the underlying shame that attaches itself to the issue. My story is simply one story out of thousands. But I believe it’s a story that needs to be heard. As well, how many of us grew up with an alcoholic parent? I’m sure I’m not the only one. My story is one of hope so that anyone experiencing a storm in their life knows that it is possible to transform and heal yourself despite what has been done to you."

Can you tell us something quirky about The Last Ten Pounds, its story and characters?

"The quirky parts of my books comes from the relationships I had with different men during my days working as an escort. I had 4 VIP clients that I had nicknames for. They were Coin Boy, Rock Boy, GQ Boy and Lover Boy. I’ll leave it at that. You’ll have to read the book to find out what kind of shenanigans I get myself into with these men."

Who would you recommend The Last Ten Pounds to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"When I wrote this book I always imagined that women would gravitate more towards it because of the content involved. However, that’s not to say that men would not relate to it. I would say it is for anybody who is at a standstill and feeling lost with their life. They know they have a lot of issues they’ve been suppressing but just don’t know how to begin to deal with them. I would say they can begin by reading, The Last Ten Pounds."

If you could / wished to turn The Last Ten Pounds into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"What a great question! I would love to have a woman direct the movie. Maybe Angelina Jolie or Sam Taylor Johnson who directed Fifty Shades of Grey. My book is like a Fifty Shades of Grey Meets Eat, Pray, Love and since Sam Taylor Johnson directed Fifty Shades of Grey, I think she’s a great fit. In addition, we both have the commonality of being married to younger men. In terms of actors, I’d cast Jake Gyllenhaal to play Coin Boy, Bryan Cranston or Richard Jenkins to play Rock Boy, Mark Ruffalo to play Lover Boy, Daniel Craig to play GQ Boy, and Idris Elba to play Ade. For myself, I don’t know. I guess it’s always the hardest to cast yourself. My book takes place all around the world but the most prominent locations would be in Canada where I’m from; London, England; and Seattle, USA."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"This is the first book I’ve written and it so happens to be a memoir. Never say never but I don’t think I have another memoir in me to write. I love reading books about spirituality. I’m a big fan of Krishnamurti, Lao Tzu, Wayne Dyer and Eckhart Tolle."

What is your writing process?

"I don’t have a particular writing process because I believe there’s no process when it comes to creativity. Creativity comes in waves. You just try to stay on the wave for as long as possible when it comes. I do however love to drink black tea with almond milk every time I sit down to write."

What is in store next?

"I’m currently working on my second book. My second book is an extension of the last quarter of The Last Ten Pounds where I talk about the transformation process. My second book will go into further detail of how one can manifest and transform their life. It is a spiritual book/self-help book. I’m also actively writing on my blog called chicsage which is also a spiritual blog full of wisdom and insight for those who are searching."

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"Yes!!! I have a two-year-old Shih-Tzu named Bobo. He’s the love of my life. Growing up I used to be terrified of dogs (I talk about this in my book). Through my healing process, I was able to come out on the other side and overnight my fear of dogs lifted and now I’m the biggest dog lover! I have a picture of him photobombing one of my photoshoots. You only see the back of his head but I’ll send you another picture where you can see his face."

Hello, Bobo! You are gorgeous :-D

The Last Ten Pounds
Pre-Order NOW! Out 8 Oct 2016

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